User blog:The Flaming Sword of Fury/Total Drama Global Travels Seasonal Review
Hello guys! It's been nearly a month since I made my last review on Total Drama Hawaiian Islands, and now it's time to review our second season: Total Drama Global Travels! Now this review is going to go down much the same as my first one did. I'll give my thoughts on the characters, episodes, and the season overall. So sit tight, because this review is preparing to lift off! Thoughts Reception to GT has been mostly negative, from what I've seen on the wiki. And to be honest, I have to agree: this season was slow, felt rushed at times, and we had terrible attendance during the first few episodes or so. But, truthfully, I don't think this season was all that terrible. Sure, it's not nearly as good as Hawaiian Islands, but it did have its moments. The aftermaths this season were especially great, for reasons that I'll delve more into later. Anyways, without further ado, let's start the actual review! Characters (Going by elimination order again, also hover over pics for side comments. Some of these will be snarkier than others) 19. Beardo: Compared to Mike last season, Beardo's nowhere near as good of a first boot. I say that even knowing that his original rper was busy, but then why did she even sign up in the first place? Don't get me wrong, if his rper had made it to the rp, I'm almost certain I would have enjoyed him more. And in all honestly, he could have been really cute if he wasn't fodder. The most enjoyable thing that came from Beardo in my opinion was what he had said after he was eliminated, it was actually kind of funny. Beardo, ultimately, brought nothing to the season and was obviously fodder from the beginning. That being said, I wouldn't mind being Beardo, not necessarily in this rp, but subbing him made me think about rping him in the future. Moving on... 18. Emma: Like Beardo, Emma was subbed for the 2 episodes that she competed in. The difference between her and Beardo, is that she was actually interesting. I found her random and out of nowhere attraction to Lightning quite funny and it was quite amusing to see her attraction to him ultimately cost her team the challenge and cause her elimination. Now, in the aftermaths, Emma is slightly more subtle with her thirstiness, but she still had those random lines where she'd drool over other men besides her boyfriend. Overall, an obvious early boot, but also rather enjoyable. 17. B: B was always going to be fodder in all honesty. I never really had any plans for him, and the ones I did I had shelved the closer GT got to its premiere. Notably, I didn't like rping B all that well, I'm certain I've made that very clear. But honestly, would anyone enjoy rping B that much? I know I'm speaking from a biased standpoint, but there aren't very many things you can actually have B do. B was actually supposed to hate rednecks at first which was a plan that fell through because simply the only person in the cast you could call a redneck was Zeke...and Zeke and B were on different teams. At first B was really irrelevant but when it was clear he was going to be very likely booted in the third episode, I made him homophobic because I wanted him to leave an impact on the season somehow. Unfortunately, said impact didn't exactly go as I had planned. Overall, fodder and a Bigot. 16. Ryan: Ryan was...ok. In all honesty, I don't really have that much of an opinion on him. Like, he was amusing at times, and it was amusing seeing Stephanie go on a rampage after he had left. But I feel like that was more of a Stephanie thing than a Ryan thing in all honesty. The rper said he had things he wanted Ryan to do, but I literally saw none of it being hinted at at all? It certainly didn't help that said rper often had to be subbed in early episodes, so both Ryan and Stephanie were pretty irrelevant early on. Ryan was bland, he was somewhat funny but still bland. 15. Gwen: Gwen hardly did anything important in GT but she was still kind of funny. Sometimes she would randomly just say snarky things or just be completely in the background and do nothing. I found her quit lulzy, and to be honest, she wasn't all that bad. Sure she was silent for most of her time, but in a way maybe that's a good thing? 14. Harold: Harold was another lulzy early boot who came out as a furry when he was eliminated. While certain people didn't exactly like this twist, and I didn't either really, I ended up thinking it was amusing in a "lolwtf" way. Harold wasn't actually all that bad, but there was that weird subplot he had where he thought Stephanie and Scarlett were into him. Not that I'm complaining really, it made him a bit more enjoyable in my opinion. I do wonder how he is going to be taken in AS though, it'll certainly be interesting, that's for sure. 13. Ella: Ella was actually somewhat cute. I'll admit, she didn't really do much besides talk to Trent, but she had those lulzy innocent moments like where she asked if Chris and Chef were getting it on with a musical number. She was absolutely adorable, and to be honest, I wasn't exactly big on voting her out myself. But again, she still didn't really do much, and I'm not certain what she could have done without Trent or if she made it farther in general. Overall, a pretty cute character, but not exactly someone I really think should return. 12. Tyler: Tyler was actually very funny in my opinion. I found his interactions with Jo very enjoyable, especially on a second read through on the season. Jo begrudgingly working with Tyler when the team numbers were whittled down to two despite low-key disliking him, was especially funny to watch. Even though Tyler wasn't likely to last that long, I did enjoy him for his stay, and I am excited to see him return for the AS season. Overall, an enjoyable pre-merge boot. Also, did you know he has a girlfriend named Lindsay? 11. Trent: Trent...was on this season I guess. He didn't really have much to him, besides Trella and being a pain magnet. And funnily enough, both seem to go away once Ella leaves. I don't really have anything positive to say about him, I guess he was a balance between some of the goofier personalities on Team Sunshine? But that's about it really. I did think Trella was cute, if somewhat rushed. Overall, really boring. 10. Stephanie: Stephanie was fun, not exactly an amazing character, but she was fun. I did appreciate some of her more over the top moments, such as her meltdown after Ryan left, trying to sabotage the Pros, etc. What I didn't really like however, is that sometimes I felt like she was hogging the screen. Sometimes, Stephanie would say lines, that weren't really necessary or would try to be involved in scenes that didn't really involve her. Her downfall however was amazing, and seeing her trying to scramble to save herself but being eliminated anyway was iconic. Overall, Stephanie was enjoyable and had a great boot episode. 9. Tom: Initially, Tom was an alright character with occasionally funny lines who often time didn't have all that much screen time. Later on though, he got this very weird attraction to Lightning that I really didn't understand and even through re reading the episode it first shows up in, I still don't understand it at all. Tom and Lightning could have been somewhat funny and they were for one episode. In the merge, however Tom's attraction to Lightning felt especially cringe-worthy to me and it seemed all that came out of his mouth was "Lightning, Lightning, Lightning, Lightning". While it was nice to give him something to do, it really felt like the only reason Tom was slightly memorable this season. Anyways, judging by how fun he was too play off of, he wasn't exactly that good. While I did think Tom and Jen were somewhat cute together in the first couple episodes, they really didn't interact that often and when they did it was kinda...eh. One of the reasons I didn't find Tom fun to play off of was that he was more often than not completely silent early on, and didn't really do much. He was kind of in the background for the most part, and that kind of bothered me. Overall, Tom wasn't really all that great and his love plot retrospectively is actually very cringy to read. 8. Lightning: I really enjoyed Lightning. He was just so funny to read, and he always managed to get a chuckle out of me every episode. I have to admit, Lightning's not nearly as good as Topher or even Amy, but he still managed to be very enjoyable to watch. One of my favorite things about him, was his obliviousness to the word gay. During his entire stay, he never understood what it meant and kept mistaking Tom and Jen for an actual couple despite the latter telling him that she preferred girls. Speaking of Jen, I somewhat enjoyed their conflict. Sure it was background and ended quite abruptly, but it gave something for Jen to do . Actually, little known fun fact, I was going to have Jen try to campaign against Lightning to have him eliminated; but then the rper wanted Jen and Lightning to end up being friends so I had to shelve that idea. Overall, a very funny and enjoyable character. 7. Jo: Jo was an actuality a surprise favorite of mine going into this season. I really didn't expect to like her as much as I did. Although I did think she was a bit gamebot-ty at times, I did find her for the most part enjoyable. A criticism I found was most common with Jo was her friendship with Tyler, and while it would seem odd at first, they did butt heads at times and it seemed as if they were begrudgingly working together as a two man band or at least Jo was. Her interactions with Stephanie and Lightning were both entertaining to read and she overall felt like herself, just without that much nicknaming. While giving people nicknames is a part of Jo's character, I appreciate that the rper tried to not wholly rely on it when interacting with other characters. Overall, a very underrated character. 6. Jen: Before the season had started, I was really excited to play Jen. 2 months later, and well, I'm still rather excited to bring her back. I really enjoyed playing Jen, and although I didn't entirely get the exact result I wanted with her, I'm still rather satisfied with how she turned out. Unlike Geoff, I actually had some ideas with what I wanted to do with her, and I feel like, yeah I could've done better in actually making some of those ideas happen, but I did an ok job. Her elimination scene was absolutely iconic, and the best part was that I completely made it up on the spot. Anyways, I feel like Jen was ok, but if she returns, I want to do a better job. 5. Justin: Despite being a mid season debut, Justin was an enjoyable addition to the season. He had his quirky moments, but was overall a decent villain. Certainly a character I would like to see return, who knows, he might actually win next time? 4. Scarlett: Scarlett was a pretty good villain. Sure, she wasn't as iconic as Amy, but I did enjoy her for what she was, and what she brought to the season. Out of everyone this season, I think Scarlett was the one who interacted with the most characters and always brought some form of entertainment with those interactions. I quite enjoyed her villainous plot too, and how it was very, very, very slowly built up until her second to last episode, where she snaps. Though Scarlett was obviously a villain from the start, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. She still managed to be entertaining, and despite me practically knowing about her plot since the first episode, I still found it rather good to watch her more villainous moments. I don't really have that many criticisms with Scarlett, maybe that she was a bit too in focus sometimes...but even that's a stretch. Overall, an enjoyable villain and probably had me on the edge of my seat all season. 3. Dakota: Dakota was a cutie, to say the least. I found her enjoyable, and not too annoying. I'll admit, I initially wanted Jen to have a showmance with Dakota but it didn't happen not just because Scarlett replaced Beth in the last second, but I realized that Jenkota would be shallow and kinda weird. In a way that's good, because Scarkota is somewhat cute, yet somewhat hilarious. Dakota ogling Scarlett in episode 16, was especially iconic, when it turned out that Scarlett had DOUBLE D CUP breasts. I knew Dakota was never going to win from the start, but sometimes I secretly rooted for her. Overall, an enjoyable character with an enjoyable plot. 2. Ezekiel: While I have a lot of opinions regarding the other contestants that made the final 4, I don't really have that much opinion on Zeke. I'll admit, it was refreshing to see a take of Zeke that was socially awkward, but hilariously socially awkward, and I did enjoy the direction the rper chose to take him. While I wouldn't have minded it if Zeke won, I can't really say I ever really rooted for him. To me, he seemed more like lovable comic relief that is the minion to the bad guy and takes second place, rather than a winner. Don't get me wrong, I loved Zeke, I thought he and Scarlett were funny together; but I just think that second place is exactly where he should have placed. I do wonder how he is going to be handled in a future season, especially since his original rper left, and someone else has taken his place. 1. Laurie: Speaking from an unbiased standpoint, Laurie is a decent winner to an ok season. Speaking from a completely biased standpoint, Laurie is a GOOD winner to a decent season. I felt like she was a character that got better as the season goes on. And she really was, later on she was quite enjoyable in her own little way. That's not to say I thought she was completely perfect all the time, I did feel like she wasn't as OTT as she could have been, and it does take a little while before she becomes consistently good. But when she's good, she's really good. I really appreciated her for what she was and what she brought. Plus, it was also good to have a winner, that wasn't obviously going to be the winner from episode 1. While re reading the episode transcripts, I found that Laurie kept rather low key in some earlier episodes. Such a thing has happened before, but it's always neat to see. Overall, Laurie was a cute and enjoyable presence during the season and I did enjoy playing off of her later on. Episodes Episodes this season were either longer or shorter than Hawaiian Islands, and that's combining the length of each part of the episode. In a way, that's good because than the episodes don't drag. But on the other hand, shorter episodes make for less interactions between cast members and that can be annoying. I was fine with the episodes this season, there were moments that made me laugh and moments that made me groan. To be honest, I never really felt that a particular episode was dragging, sure some ran for a bit long, but never to the point that I was bored. The challenges were a bit more generic but in all fairness, last season's challenges were kind of generic too. Besides that, I don't really have that much else to say, other than that this season had the first elimination ceremony where I did nothing but repeat "Oh my God." to myself at the results. I'll let you guess which one that was. Aftermath Thoughts The aftermath was a clear highlight of the season. It was a good addition to the roleplay, not only that but it was a fun thing to do that had us break away from all the drama. The peanut gallery, the hosts, and the eliminated contestants all brought their own form of entertainment and it was always fun to see the hilarious shenanigans that would occur. The only dud was the first one, and you can't even call it a dud really, it's just not as good as the other ones. Mostly because we were doing it really late. My favorite thing about the aftermaths was Topher's arc: He goes from being this excitable host to slowly being more greedy and vain, until eventually in the third aftermath, it all comes to bite him in the butt after bringing out the electric chair. It's much in the same vein as Geoff's arc in TDA, except Geoff didn't get fired. Another thing I liked about the aftermaths was the peanut gallery, there was always quips from them based off the situation or completely oblivious of the situation around them and they almost always had something amusing to say. Whether or not you liked the actual episodes, you can't admit the aftermaths this seasons weren't good. Interactions (Since this season had more limited interactions than the last season, I thought, hey why not give them a section. This is dedicated to more long term interactions, I'm not putting interactions that happened once or twice in here guys. As a twist these will all be in "in a nutshell" format) Scarkota: Beauty and the Braniac, surprisingly cute. Scarzekiel: Hilarity ensues when the smart collides with the...not so smart. Stephanie Interactions: Funny, but also somewhat mundane. Tomntning: Flamboyant blogger is attracted to the jock who called his friend fat. Jom: The Sassy Fashionista...and her uncharacteristically quiet best friend; and as a bonus, they're BOTH gay! (Also, she votes him off). Tyler and Jo: Unlikely allies turned into fire forged friendship. Juspher: They're obviously gay for eachother, but they're hilarious when denying it. Trella: A forgettable romance between two equally forgettable characters. Justin and Dakota: The fakemance. Jaurie: Cute, but horribly horribly rushed. Jo and Lightning: The Classic. Overall Score I'd give this season an 8/10, it's not as groundbreaking as HI was, but it's certainly not that terrible either. Category:Blog posts